Improveivient in rakes for harvesters



\ To all whom. t may concern. i Be it known that I, JONATHAN R. WRITTE- MORE, of Chicopee Falls, in the county of Hamp! denand Commonwealth ofMassachnsetts, have invented a new andnseful` Rake for Harvesting is a full, clear, and eXact description of the constructionfand operation of .the'sama `reference being had to the accompanying draw-` ings, making a part of this specication.

\ `This invention is applicable to "reapers or harvesters in vwhich the grain is made to fall on a table or platform onthe machine `after `being cut, and from which table ityis to be V :raked as soon as a sufficient quantity is cut to form a bunehof `suitable size.

In` the drawings making a part` of this specification, Figurel is a plan or top view `of the machine; Fig. 2,`aside elevation, and Fig. 3 aybottomviewof thevcam-plate and ,bevel-gears eombinedi Like letters off'ferencei s ndicate corresponding parts in each of the figures.

A is the platform of theqharvester, for receiving the cut grain. s

' `B's a frame of cast-iron,'attached to the i platform A` and suppertingtheotherpartsof the machine. f

C theharvester. On the shaft Cisa pinion, Dworkinginto a gear, E, on the upright shaft F.

` Gis afplate-cam forming, as here shown, 1 the back of the gear E, and might be so cons `structed tosaveweight and expense; lbut this u particular combination of the gear and cam is l not necessary to the working `of the machine, i as they could aswell `be made separate and ati tached tothe same shaft or bolted together.

. H is a cam-lever, having a permanent ful` i crum at -Ionan arm, J, of tlieframe B. `K isa stud` or pin `in thenplate-cam'G, `and working in a cam-slot, L, in the lever H'. This lever is `provided with two arms, M M,which form `bearings to'support the short shaftN, to

which is attached` the rake O."

l spring tends to` throw the u rake up and keep `the arm Rin contact with the plate-cam G.

s vided with frictionrolls to bear on the cams. The operation isasvfollows: Motion being AU`N'ITER STATES- ers; and `I do hereby declarethat the follow- C is a horizontal shaft, driven by belt, gears,

or other connection from the driving-shaft of` l? is a coiled springen the shaft N, which The arm R, and also the pin K, might be pro.-V

PATENT Orrick...

s Joivnrrinn n. wrriTrEMonn, or cHCoPnn rALLs, Massncnusnrrs.

" IMPROVEM ENT `l Nj RAKES FOR HARVESTERS.

" Specificationforming part vof Letters Patent No. 35,343, dated May L0, 1862.

given to the shaft C,- itis communicated through e the cam-lever H, and consequently the rake,

a reciprocating swingingA motion. New, the cam-plate G is of such a form as to bear against the arm R and throw the rake down` just when it commences to move in the direction in which the grain is to be moved, and also to hold itdownV until it shall have swept the grain off from the platform. Then as the rake is about to move back, it allows itto be thrown up, by

means of the spring l?, out of the way of the grain. Now, when the grain is very heavy it is necessary to have it removed from the plat form more often than when it is li ghter; there- `place by the collars a a', which are attached to the shaft by the setscrews b b. Now, if the grain is heavy, and therefore requires to be raked off frequently, I loosen the collars a a and slide the Apinion into gear with the inner gear, T, (seen in Fig. 3,) thus rotating the vera tical shaft faster, and therefore accomplishing the desiredresult.

To facilitate the moving of the pinion from. one gear to another, the bearing `of the-shaft at 3 may be made movable vertically, so that the pinion can be dropped down clear of the gear, and then be brought up to place again in connection with another gear and confined there; butdthis last arrangement is merely a matter of convenience and probably not necessary.l s tive lto the motion of the machine over'the ground can be varied at pleasure to suit the circumstances of the case.

U is a sleeve connectingtwo parts of the shaft C. The hole in the sleeve at d is round4 and iitsthe. end of the shaft sufficiently to give it a bearing. der ofthe sleeve is square, and fits onto a square shank on the part e of the shaft, to which the pinion is attached. This square shank is long enonghto allow the pinion to be changed from the outer to the inner gear without drawing theshank vout of the sleeve. In the end of the `sleeve at d,'l form notches and corresponding proj eeti ons on the shaft, so that when the sleeve Thus the movement of the rakerela- The hole throughout the remain is forced back onto the shaft the projections enter the notches, and thus form a clutch, connecting the two parts of the shaft. When the sleeve is moved toward the pinion so as to remove the projections on the shaft from the notches in the sleeve, then the part d of the shaft is free to revolve Without imparting motion to ythc rake. Thus, when the machine comes to a thin place in the grain, so that the bunches of grain would not be large enough, the driver can disconnect the rake and keep it so until enough grain has accumulated, and thus graduate the motion of the rake to suit all circumstances.' Now, the cam-slot L can be so formed as to give any desirable varialtion in the speed of the rake throughout the different portions of its horizontal motionas, for instance, at the rst end of the sweepthe rake has not so much load, and therefore can move faster, and as the grain accumulates before it the speed may be reduced, so as to keep the power required to move it nearly coustant. Also, the rake requires a comparatively quick motion while raking, in order to avoid as much as possible the mixing up of the grain that has fallen onto the platform and that which is falling, and then the movement of the rake quantity of grain to accumulate for another bunch. This result is naturally produced to a certain extent by the peculiar relative positions of the stud K and fulcrum H, the stud being nearer the fulcrum during that portion of the revolution that does the raking; but this result may be produced in too large or too small a degree by this combination of the parts by themselves, but by varying the form of the cam-slot the motion may be adjusted to suit any circumstances, as it will be readily seen that any desired horizontal motion can be given to the rake by making the cam-slot of a suitable form as easily as any peculiar motion can be imparted to a portion of a machine from a suitably-constructed cani revolving on a shaft.

Now, having fully described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

The combination of the rake O and platecaln G when arranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

JONATHAN R. VHITTEMORE.

' NVitnesses:

JOHN R. VHITTEMORE, MILTON BRADLEY. 

